batten down the hatches

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

verbidiomatic To prepare for trouble.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the practice aboard a ship of sealing hatches to prevent water getting below-decks in a storm by using covers secured by strips of material, called battens, firmly attached to the frame of the hatch opening.

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To prepare for trouble. The securing of property, especially the covering with of property with protective sheeting, is called "battening down," but the phrase also has a nautical origin that's more specific. Sailors prepared for a storm by fastening canvas over the gratings and close-hatches of hatchways. If extremely severe weather was expected (strong winds, particularly heavy rains), the canvas was secured using strips of wood called battens.